Trouble in the Land of Muse
by StaleCupcakes303
Summary: Team Seven is sent to the far away Land of Muse to discuss political alliances with the Royal Family. The team experiences strange events while on the island. With the ways of the Land of Muse, can the Leaf make peace or will war really break out? -Rated M just to be safe-
1. Chapter 1

This story takes place after around six months after the ninja war. This is a fan fiction and I will not be making any money from this project.(But if you want to me $10 for pizza I'm _not_ going to stop you.) **The content in story falls under the United States Fair Use Law 107. The Naruto Franchise belongs to it's creator Masashi Kishimoto, as well as the publisher Shueisha and probably more peoples' names I couldn't find on the internet. (Insert more legal stuff here)** And finally, this story is non-canonical and was written by a 20 year old college student sitting in her bedroom with no pants on stuffing her face with Cheetos. I'm an English major at my university and will be applying my skill here. Reviews and critique is always welcome, I can handle the truth. Okay sorry for all that garbage, sit back, relax and enjoy the garbage that comes out of my brain!( Author's note: I know Kakashi became Hokage right after the war, but I thought it was a little more realistic to have Tsunade in office for a little longer, hope that's ok with everyone)

Chapter 1

The Monday air was still crisp from the morning's rain, dew drops still dwindling on the window panes of the Leaf Village. Although it was almost eleven, the sun's warmth decided to stay incognito behind the fluffy clouds draped all along the sky, drifting lazily along with the wind. It was the perfect weather for a stroll, or perhaps a cup of tea on the porch with friendly company and reminisce about the past together. Tsunade gazed out the window, wishing to be anywhere than where she was. The meeting room in the Hokage tower was full of the board members all discussing politics, money, the local village drunk who was persistent on walking out on his bar tab every night. She tapped her bright red nail against her cheek. The image of sake and a round of poker flooded her mind. "God I just need to get out of here," she thought to herself. Peering an eye over to Shizune who was (like always) playing an active role in the conversation. Tsunade furrowed her brow in annoyance. "We've been on the topic of the excessive number of loiterers around the south side of town for an hour and a half." Cursing at herself she stood up from her chair located at the head of the long dark table. "Okay, I think we can call it a day here. None of these matters are urgent so if you excuse me, I'm going to my office and finishing my paperwork." Shizune's eyes widened as she tried to protest her mentor but before she could muster out a single word Tsunade cut her off. "Shizune, office, now." The jonin followed the Hokage up the wooden stairs, passing by several ninjas leaving for their missions. All of which paying respect to Tsunade by bowing of course. " I can't stand those drudging meetings!"Tsunade exclaimed while pulling open her office door. "Those board members will talk about anything that isn't important for hours." She plopped herself into her desk chair, propping one elbow on her ordinate desked, fully adorned with mission files and other miscellaneous papers and forms. Tsunade massaged her temples and let out an annoyed groan. "Well milady we recently got out of a war, everyone is still on edge." Tsunade looked up, wishing that the day was just over. "It's just with the Kage summit next week and al this paperwork I'm just a little strung out is all." Shizune nodded her head with empathy for her mentor. She was an intelligent and fearless woman, the first female Hokage and a survivor of the last war. "I'm sorry that you feel that way milady. "Shizune paced over to one of the file cases against the wall. The case was monstrous in height, filled with important documents regarding information and news from the other surrounding nations. She pulled open one of the many drawers and picked up one single envelope. "I hope that this doesn't add to your list of worries." The envelope was quite large, constructed of thick red paper with gold leaf trim along the edges, sealed with a black wax stamp. "This came for you today. It seemed important, so I didn't want to open it for you." Tsunade's eyes lit up as she reached for the envelope. "Who is it from?" Shizune shifted her weight and adjusted the hair by her face. "The Land of Muse I believe," Shizune said with confidence. "Huh. They haven't contacted us since the time of my grandfather. I can't imagine what they could possibly want now." Tsunade stated. "I really don't know too much about that land, other than it doesn't follow the normal ways of this nation." Shizune confessed, giving an awkward grin. "You're half right Shizune," Tsunade assured. "The Land of Muse is considered its own independent nation. It branched off more than seventy years ago. Since its located in the far south, way past the Crescent Islands, the other Lands didn't have too much to say about it." Shizune frowned and looked back to the envelope. "But why did the branch off in the first place?" Tsunade began to open the wax seal. "I'm not certain since the Leaf doesn't have much records of it, and there's hardly anyone still alive who would know. If I had to guess, it would be the fact that the Land of Muse has an emperor and a long family lineage, and they didn't want to lose that power." Tsunade explained. The pulled a pale-yellow paper out of the envelope and studied it. "Emperor Amago Morokatsu is requesting my presence in the Land of Muse to kindle an alliance with the Land of Fire…" Tsunade trailed off with disbelief. "But- why would they send the Hokage something like that? Why not the feudal lord?" Shizune asked in disbelief. Tsunade rolled her eyes. "That guy is an air-headed baffoon. I don't like discussing politics with him, so I don't blame the Emperor either." Tsunade put the document down and closed her amber eyes. "What could this mean for the leaf village? Would this alliance benefit the future generation?" Tsunade was deep in thought when Shizune finally broke the silence. "Maybe we should dwell on this for a bit Milady. "Right. But I don't want to wait too long. Bring me a scroll, a messenger hawk, and a bottle of wine."


	2. Chapter 2

On Wednesday the sun was fully awake and spreading its warmth over the peaceful village. The townspeople were bustling through the streets and vendors completing their daily chores. Several young children were among the paved alleyways playing their parlor games and betting marbles on each other to knock on stranger's doors and run away. Mothers crowded the food market with their infants on their backs searching for the perfect ingredients for the family dinner. Sakura and Naruto strolled by, glancing around at all the bustle. Sakura gazed at one mother stop to feed her baby on a nearby bench. Such peace was in that child's eyes, as they calmly took the bottle their loving mother held for them. Sakura was almost envious of such necessity. "Man, what is up with all these people?" Naruto baffled. "There isn't anything going on this week is there?" Sakura shook her head as they continued to walk down the busy street. "No, I don't think so. Lady Tsunade defiantly would have reminded me. I think its just the lovely weather that has everyone outside." The two continued to walk down over to the hospital in the center of town. "Why'd you have to drag me out with you for your stupid errands anyways Sakura?" Naruto whined as he slowly fell behind the pinkette. "Quit your complaining. You still can't do anything with your new arm. Lady Tsunade requested that I pick up some medical records. I'm also buying you lunch later because it's too depressing for me to eat out alone, so you might as well just shut your trap and be grateful." She stated with complete annoyance. Naruto's ears perked up. "Can we get ramen?" he asked sneakily. "only if you carry the medical records to the Hokage tower." "Deal!" the blonde ninja exclaimed as he suddenly sprinted meters ahead of Sakura. "Hey! Wait up you knuckle head!" Sakura screamed in the dust of his tracks.

Sakura had somehow managed to catch up to Naruto, even though it took a good amount of energy. Whenever she did finally catch up the wind from her breath was completely absent. Sakura was too wiped out form the sprint to even bother scolding the determined fool who had left her behind. Sakura looked so verklempt while she was speaking to the hospitals' administration. Yet the two were able to recover the records that Lady Tsunade requested. As the two made their way north to the Hokage tower the pair of friends discussed their favorite snacks and how the local supermarket had discontinued Sakura's favorite kind of cookie. As well as the frustrations that came with it. The two reached the tower and it looked the same as always. The red circular building almost identical to the original. However, the new tower was far brighter in color, and of course, completely new. It was fortunate that the village was able to recover original blueprints after the village's destruction. Naruto lugged open the door of the tower dramatically, acting as if the door was a million kilograms. He pulled and pulled and after a minute of pretending to struggle, held the door open for his pink haired teammate. "Knock it of dingus, Lady Tsunade will have your hide if she sees you acting foolish in her office. Behave." Naruto rolled his eyes and scratched his head. "Lighten up Sakura, life is too short to be so serious all the time." Sakura ignored his statement and proceeded forward to the front desk. She signed her name and current time in the visitors' log, motioning to Naruto to do the same. He picked up the pen, lazily wrote something that somewhat resembled his name; Only it looked like a blind toddler had written it. The two made their way up the narrow staircase. The air was hot and stiff, and the two struggled to make it to the fourth floor. Down the hallway they went, lugging along the hospital records. Once they finally reached Tsunade's office, Naruto and Sakura stopped for a second, both sensing a familiar chakra. The two looked at each other with wide eyes. With a shaky hand, Sakura knocked on the thick wooden door, and slowly opened it.


	3. Chapter 3

The figure was tall, with raven dark hair they easily stood out from anyone else in the room. Their back was turned, flashing a red and white fan across their black coat. "Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed with the largest grin anyone has ever seen. Sakura's jaw nearly hit the floor. "W-What is he doing here?" She thought to herself in a frenzy. Sauske slowly rotated around, turning his head to face his former teammates. "You guys are late, what took you so long?" his voice monotone as usual. He was standing in front of Tsunade's desk, his one hand on dark wood. "Well we were Granny Tsunade's errand runners for the day so-" Naruto, zip it. I've called you all here for a critical matter." Naruto sucked all his complaints back in and stayed quiet. No use to make the lady upset. Tsunade pinched her brow and signed. "I only have a few more months of this Hokage business so I'd appreciate it if you made my job a little easier." Naruto nodded his head in compliance. Sakura took the hospital records from Naruto and stepped forward towards the desk. Standing to the left of Sasuke, she placed the records on her desk "Good. Thank you, Sakura." Tsunade said leaning back into her chair. Her student nodded her head and took a step back, avoiding eye contact with her former teammate. Shizune was pulling several files from the file case along the wall. She stopped, holding one folder in her left hand. "I have summoned you all here for a very important mission," Tsunade explained, narrowing her dark brown eyes. "Have any of you heard of The Land of Muse? The three-youth looked puzzled. "I've never heard of it," Naruto muttered, scratching his head. Sauske remained quiet, and Sakura shook her head. "I figured." Tsunade said, tapping her finger on the desk." Well, to make it short, the Land of Muse is an independent nation, far South from the Crescent Isles. They split from this nation long ago, hardly anyone even remembers. I only recall because my grandfather lived through it." She shifted her eyes out to the window. "Anyways, the Land of Muse wants to kindle an alliance with the Leaf and Land of Fire. Since the Feudal Lord is too ignorant of such alliances I'm left to deal with it." Shizune paced over to the opposite side of the room and opened a cabinet, rummaging around for more paperwork. "I have a Kage Summit next week, and cannot visit the Land of Muse myself, so I've decided to send the three of you in my place." Naruto gave a thumbs up with his iconic smile. "Alright! A diplomatic mission! Don't worry Granny, I have this in the bag!" Tsunade's eyes widened a bit and she held up her had. "Woah there, Naruto hold on. You have an important role in this mission but there is no way in hell, you're negotiating anything with anybody." Naruto lost his smile and went into a face of confusion. Tsunade looked towards Sakura and nodded her head a bit. "I'm appointing Sakura as an ambassador for the Land of Fire, she will be negotiating with the Emperor." Sakura nearly choked on air. "Wh-What?" She stuttered trying to catch her breath. "You're my pupil, I can trust that you'll think like me and make decisions I would make," Tsunade affirmed. Sakura nodded with support, but beads of sweat were forming on her brow. "So wait, what is Sauske and I supposed to do?" Naruto blurted out. Tsunade closed her eyes with irritation. She takes a deep breath and reopens her eyes. "You know the three-man squad rule Naruto. And do you really think I would send her by herself hundreds of miles away from home alone?" Naruto looked over to the side nervously. "Uh- I guess not" Naruto shifted his eyes back over to Sauske. "But what is Sasuke doing here?" Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Because I'm the only one with any kind of navigation skills nitwit." He mocked. "Okay well then let's get rolling! We have a mission to get to!" Naruto exclaimed with excitement. "Well, at least you're eager." Tsunade sighed, as she waved towards Shizune. Shizune walked to Tsunade with a green folder in her arm. "This is all the information I have been able to gather. I suggest you read it during the ride to the island." Shizune explained as she handed the folder to Sakura. "Okay now that all the complicated business is out of the way, you three need to go home and rest. The boat leaves tomorrow at five in the morning and I expect you all to be on time." Tsunade explained firmly.

The three teammates left the Hokage's tower, huddled around outside they stopped for just a moment. "Okay guys, tomorrow five in the morning, no problem!" Naruto said with enthusiasm. "Yep! Tomorrow five! See you two later!" Sakura said while turning away. "Hold up!" Naruto yelled while grabbing her shoulder before she could make a run for it. "You promised me ramen after I helped you with your errands! Don't leave me hanging Sakura! Sakura darter her eyes. "Oh? Did I say that? I'm sorry Naruto, of course. Ramen. Let's go." She said nervously, bringing her hand up to her chin. "Sauske you've been traveling. Come to hang out with us for a bit!" Naruto begged, flashing his friend the "puppy dog eyes". Sasuke looked at him with a blank expression. "Sure." Naruto rolled his eyes. "When are you going stop being so emo Sauske? Whatever, I'm starving. Ramen Town here I come. Let's go!" Naruto grabbed both their arms as he started dragging them behind him like an angry mother with her two rambunctious kids.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun was setting into a beautiful amber haze by the time the trio had reached Ichiraku ramen, and the smells of pork and beef filled the air with a heavenly aroma. Naruto practically floated into his stool. Sakura sat on his right while Sasuke sat on his left. Although he didn't show it, Sasuke was pretty hungry for some real food. In his travels, he mostly ate whatever fish he was able to catch, or if he was lucky he would stumble across a boar. But more often than not, his diet consisted of wild berries and mushrooms. In fact, he was so hungry, he was salivating just at the smell. He tried to keep his composure best he could, not wanting his friends to detect his secret. Sakura had sat in this seat next to Naruto so many times over the years, but with the new (of course, welcomed) company, it was just so offsetting. "Hey, old man! You know what I like!" Naruto hollered at Teuchi. "Same for me!" Sakura exclaimed. Miso Chasu also happened to be her favorite. "Yeah, no problem guys!" Teuchi alerted from the back. "What about your friend?" he asked pointing to Sasuke. "whatever you recommend," Sauske responded, not looking up. "You got it, friend!". In a few minutes, three beautiful bowls of ramen graced team seven's presence. Naruto started digging in immediately. "Man-umph, this -slurp- is just what I gjdfo needed!" He was basically inhaling his bowl of ramen. "Naruto slow down, one day you're going to choke," Sakura said calmly, taking a small sip from her miso broth. Her eyes darted to her left and noticed Sasuke had his mouth full of noodles, the entire bowl was practically empty. "For the love of God, you both act as you've never eaten before!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. Naruto swallowed his bite and looked at the pinkette. "Lighten up Sakura, a man's gotta eat!" Sakura rolled her eyes and continued to work on her bowl of ramen. It really was delicious. "Hey old man, where is Ayame?" Naruto questioned as he finished off his broth. Teuchi looked up from his grill and responded. "Oh, she wasn't feeling good this morning so it's just me today. Do you want another bowl?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "Yes please!" Sakura took a sip of her water. "So Sasuke, what do you do while you travel?" Sasuke looked up from his ramen and acknowledged her. "Mostly gather intel for the Leaf. Sometimes I take up odd jobs." Sakura looked down at her food. "Still not much of a talker huh?" she thought to herself. Sakura looked behind her and noticed it was dark out. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go home and go to bed." Sakura pulled out a wad of cash from her pouch and gave it to Naruto. "I got you too Sasuke, don't worry about it, I know you were hungry too. This should cover everything. I'll see you two tomorrow morning okay?" Naruto blinked and thought for a second. "You sure you don't want to hang out some more?" Sakura smiled and shook her head. "Thanks, Naruto, but I really need to go home, pack and get some sleep." Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, Goodnight Sakura, thank you for the ramen. "You're welcome Naruto, goodnight guys." She turned around to leave. "Goodnight Sakura," Sasuke said quietly. Sakura shivered but she didn't say anything. She turned back as she was walking away and gave a small wave to the boys. "Okay, time to get home." She mumbled to herself as she paced down the street.

The two boys sat for a while longer, making small talk. Naruto did most of the talking, Sasuke usually answered questions with a "yes" or "no". Naruto added some money to the pile Sakura gave him to cover the extra bowl, as well as a nice tip for Teuchi. He leaned back a bit in his seat, definitely full from the meal. "So, where are you staying tonight Sasuke?" Naruto casually asked. "Camping outside the village." Sasuke responded. Naruto's ears twitched a bit. "You know, you can stay at my place if you want. I have a shower you can use and a sleeping mat you can sleep on. Probably beats the forest floor." Sasuke nodded his head in agreement. He really didn't want to be a burden or have to rely on his friend but sleeping inside had not been a luxury he has had in a long time. The two paid the check and left feeling satisfied. "My stuff is by the village gate. Can we go there first?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded his head in confirmation. "sure." The walk was a long walk, but it was peaceful. The cicadas were chirping as always, and the lanterns were glowing as usual. Right outside the main gate was a big tree. Sasuke's bag and the sword were tucked away behind it, untouched. Sasuke hitched his sword around his waist, and then picked up his bag. "Okay, let's go" he stated.

The hot water hit against Sasuke's skin, and it felt like actual heaven. His head was leaned against the tiled wall, his back indulging in the hot water. The liquid by his feet turning a soft grey as the grim and grime was purified off his body. "when was the last time I bathed?" he asked himself. He sat there and thought for a minute. "…. gross." He finished washing up and turned off the water. Opening the shower door and stepping out, the cool air brisked him, steam rising towards the ceiling. Sasuke gazed in the mirror for just a moment. Floppy wet hair, bags under the eyes, dark circles. "I look like hell." He stated to his reflection. He grabbed a clean towel and changed into a loose pair of clothes that Naruto had loaned him. He opened the bathroom door and saw his friend completely passed out, sprawled across his bed. He didn't realize how long his shower had taken but shrugged it off. The more sleep Naruto got the better. Given the fact that the two had to be at the gate at five, a long slumber would be best. Sasuke pulled out the mat from under Naruto's bed. It was dark blue and quite fluffy. Already adorned with a pillow and blanket. Sasuke slipped into it. "Well, I haven't had this in a long time," Sauske told himself. He sat there for a while staring at the ceiling. The sound of Naruto's incessant snoring was slowly being tuned out of Sasuke's mind. Within twenty minutes, he was in hibernation mode.


	5. Chapter 5

It was still dark by the time Sakura managed to pull herself out of her sleep. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, baby hairs flying everywhere. With heavy eyes, she peered over to the clock that rested on her nightstand. Four in the morning. "Ugh" She moaned forcing herself out of the covers of her cozy bed. Her feet hit the hardwood floor, and like usual, it was stone cold as usual. The pinkette, while still half asleep, baby-stepped her way into her bathroom. She turned on the faucet and let the water run. As the water was heating up she grabbed a medium blue makeup case out from under the cupboard and started throwing some necessities in it. Deodorant, travel toothbrush, sleeping pills, tissues, and lastly, a sample size of mascara. The only makeup that she owned, and it only happened to be in her possession because Ino had begged her to at least try it for a night out. Sakura rolled her eyes at the thought of her vain friend but also gave a small smile as she did so.

After washing her face, brushing her teeth and trying to get her bed head to cooperate, Sakura was almost all ready to go. She turned off her bedroom light and entered back into her bedroom. It was a small bedroom, smaller than the one she had at her parent's house. She moved out only a month ago, but she was satisfied with her new apartment. It was a one bedroom, but it was all she really needed. Now more awake, she was able to manage to make her bed, tucking the buttercup yellow sheets into place, and folding the mint green comforter on top. Sakura quickly fluffed the pillows. Normally she didn't make her bed. Why make it if she's just going to fuss it up at the end of the day? "I don't know when I'll be back, so I might as well come home to a made bed." She thought to herself. She threw some clothes that were loitering around the floor across the room making into the hamper next to the closet. "Ten points." She said to herself as she threw the last remaining shirt. She waltzed over to her closet and pulled out some traveling gear to wear. A pair of black cropped leggings that would be comfortable to wear. An oversized, dark blue knit cable knit sweater to keep her warm on the boat, as well as a pair of treaded sneakers. "The dock could get wet." She thought as she pulled them out of their respected box.

She slipped her clothes on, first the leggings, sweater and lastly shoes. She looked to the door, her duffel bag already packed with the clothes that she should need for the trip. Pajamas, mission clothes, ninja tools, her toiletries, and something to wear for important meetings. As well as a few pairs of shoes. Sakura grabbed her duffel bag and opened her bedroom door leading out into her living room. The living room was decently sized, decked out with a white sofa, brown coffee table, and red bookshelf all nestled together like a family. The kitchen was right next to the living room, as well as a low setting dining table decorated with a bowl of fresh fruit. Sakura frowned at the fruit. "I shouldn't let it spoil." In the drawer next to the fridge were spare plastic bags that Sakura had acquired from the local market. She grabbed one and threw the fruit into the bag. One banana, two apples, and an orange. "Snacks." She said with a small grin. She lugged her duffle bag over her shoulder, and with the fruit bag in hand switched off all the lights and locked her apartment door. She turned right down the hallway and headed for the stairs of her apartment building.

Naruto's eyes shot open in panic. He flung himself forwards out of his bed, tripping on his comforter in the process. He fell completely face forward, basically eating the carpet in his bedroom. He shuffled around for second, curing several obscenities before stabilizing himself on his knees. He picked up a pillow and lugged it at Sauske, hitting his friend straight in the face. "Sauske! We're late get your ass up!" Sasuke forced himself forward, stumbling on his own feet to gain his balance. "Dammit!" he cursed. The two ran around like an ant hill had been kicked for a good fifteen minutes before the two were able to get dressed and out the door. They raced down the streets, dust settling behind them as they hauled ass to get to the gate of the village. "Naruto you idiot why didn't you set an alarm?" Sasuke questioned as the two sprinted along. "You're the responsible one! I thought you did it!" Naruto yelled back to him. Sasuke gave him a dirty look but just kept running. Hopefully, they would make it to the gate in time. The two saw Sakura in the distance, leaning against the gate. She perked her head up. "oh hey guys." She said lazily. "You guys are right on time." The two boys sat there for a second. They just sat there for a second. Listening to the chirping of the morning birds. "…..are you freaking serious?" Naruto asked with grogginess.


	6. Chapter 6

By one the team was at the halfway point to the port where their boat would be located. It was a long walk, but with the sun hidden behind the clouds, the heat was not at its full, scorching capacity. Rather, a cool breeze was slithering among the landscape. The three had been pacing themselves taking turns between running, trotting and strolling. The plan was to be at the boat and setting sail by sunset, but that was so far off into the day that it wasn't a true concern. The squad took their time. In fact, the trip had been rather quiet. Naruto was still struggling to stay awake until about noon, leaving Sakura and Sasuke to keep a conversation; which mostly consisted of "Hey watch out for some type of obstacle" or "We should speed up a bit." Clearly, there was not a magnum opus of conversation. "We should probably stop for lunch." Sakura declared, pointing to a small hill along the dirt road. "We can eat here really quick and get back on the road." Naruto shook his head with agreement. "MMMM. Finally! the best part of the day" he cooed. Naruto turned to his right and started to climb the arched earth. Once he had reached the top he hurled his backpack on the ground and sat down Indian style. "Okay, what's for lunch?" Sakura followed Naruto's tracks with Sasuke right behind her.

She crouched down and sat her bag down. She unzipped it and pulled out a box and the assorted fruit she had packed that morning. She held up the wooden box. "I'm sorry that I don't have a lot. I brought some steamed rice and fruit." Sakura confirmed. Sasuke sat down next to Naruto, setting his belongings behind him. Sakura placed the wooden box in the center of them, then passed the boys a pair of chopsticks for each of them. She then placed the fruit next to the box. "I'm sorry that this is all I have" Sakura admitted. "I know this isn't super fancy." She scratched her head in embarrassment. "Food is food, Sakura." Naruto encouraged. Sasuke nodded his head in confirmation. Her cheeks flushed into a rose color as her friends accepted her offering. "Thanks, guys." She chuckled. "Let's eat!" The three put their hands together in unison and declared "Thank you for the food."

Sakura reached for the one orange in the fruit pile. She quickly peeled the skin away from the flesh and tossed it aside. Sasuke picked up the box of rice and ate a few clumps of it, trying to save some of it for his teammates. Naruto went for the banana. After peeling it he quickly scarfed it down, bruises and all. He motioned to Sasuke to pass the rice. He reluctantly did so, and in exchange grabbed an apple. He took a bite into it and it gave a satisfying "crunch". It was a sweet Fiji apple, a popular choice among the Leaf Village. Sakura had split her orange into smaller slices, eating each bit individually. After Naruto had had enough rice he passed the remainder to Sakura. She mixed what was left of her juicy orange in the box and happily finished off the rice. Sasuke passed around bottles of water and the three sat in total contentment, letting their meal digest.

They sat there for a bit, relaxing, staring at the cloudy sky. Sasuke was laying on his back, his arm propped behind his head. His dark eyes were becoming heavy, begging for a nap. He furrowed his eyebrows. "I can't sleep now. Need to get up." He pondered to himself. He let out a weak groan in protest. He sat and looked at his two friends. Naruto was on the ground spread eagle, and completely passed out and snoring. Sakura was sitting up with her knees to her chest. "What's wrong?" Sasuke questioned. His voice startled her and made the pinkette flinch. She sighed. "I'm just anxious about the trip. I worry that Lady Tsunade put her trust in the wrong person." Her lip quivered a bit and her eyes darted to her feet. Sasuke shuffled up and walked in front of where she was sitting. He offered his hand out to her. "You'll make the right decisions." He stated coolly. Sakura looked up, blinking in surprise. She took his hand and Sasuke helped her to her feet. "I guess we should wake up Naruto." Sakura gulped, shifting her eyes to the sleeping blonde. Sasuke shuffled over to him. "Naruto." He stated, nudging him with his foot.

"Naruto. Wake up." Naruto fluttered his eyelids open. He looked at Sasuke for a second and closed his eyes again. "Five more minutes" Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance and nudged him again. "Come on knucklehead lets go." Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "fine, fine. Geez, when did you become my wife? He sluggishly heaved himself off the ground. "Sakura when are we going to be at the boat?" Naruto rolled out his shoulder, stretching it along with his torso. "Maybe another four hours. We're a little over halfway there. "Dammit." Naruto cursed as the team began to shuffle down the road again. "By the time we get there, it should be sunset or close to it. There are sailors there that are going to escort us to the island. Lady Tsunade has it all set up. Naruto wiped his forehead. "Man, I have PTSD from ships, I'm really not looking forward to all of this. Sakura smiled. "It'll be fine Naruto, it's only a week's worth of sailing. If we have good weather, we'll be there in no time at all!" "A whole week" Naruto groaned in defeat. "I might die on that boat." The three friends tuckered on down the road, listening to the songbirds sing their songs.


	7. Chapter 7

Finally, after hours of traveling the team finally made it to the port. The port was located at the very south of the land of fire. There was a small village nestled along the coastline. It really was a beautiful sight. There were small fishing boats along the shoreline, with fishermen trying to reel in the last catch of the day. The sun was setting along the skyline, casting a bright orange hue along the ocean. The clouds were dancing with pink and purple hues as the sun disappeared behind the Earth. The shore was about a kilometer or two from where the three were placed. They were mounted on top of a hill. The road had faded out into a wooden staircase that led down to the village below. There were no lanterns or light source on the hill, all the glow radiated from the awake town. Sakura's eyes darted along the port, scanning for their ship. "I can't tell which one is ours." She pointed to the docks. "We're too far away." Naruto put his hand up to his face, trying to focus in on the boats. "Yeah, they all look the same to me." Sasuke nodded his head towards the village. "We should stop and get supplies before we leave." The two others nodded their head in agreement, following Sasuke down the long wooden stairs to the village.

The village was far smaller than the Leaf village. Maybe a third in size to be exact. But what it lacked in size was made up in character. Although it was later into the evening, most of the markets were still open. Mostly fish and meat vendors trying to sell their stock at a lower price before it all went bad. The three wandered around, trying to find a general goods store. All the buildings were smaller, most of them one story buildings and homes. There were a few apartment complexes, a few bars, and other miscellaneous shops and businesses. "Man, this village is so quaint." Sakura cooed as they turned a corner. On their right was the general goods store and on the right a tavern, a tavern with a bustling crowd that could be viewed from the windows. "Here's the store!" Naruto exclaimed ripping open the door. "C'mon! Let's get our stuff and find our boat." Sakura and Sasuke nodded their heads in agreement and entered the store.

The store itself wasn't very big and had about ten aisles, all of which had the scent of stale bread. There was an ancient woman attending the cash register. This woman's hair was white as snow, and her clothes were brown and rugged. Her wrinkles had wrinkles. "Hello!" The old woman greeted warmly as the three ninjas entered the store. "Welcome to the Wholesome Happy." Sakura gave the old woman a small wave and a gentle smile. "Hi." She awkwardly chirped, ducking into a close by aisle. Naruto followed her. Sakura immediately picked up a grey blanket that she saw perched on one of the lower shelves. "What do you need that for?" Naruto questioned as he browsed through the magazines. "I might get cold." She confirmed. "Come on, we need to grab some snacks for the trip." Naruto followed her to the food aisle and they both picked out a bag of chips. Sasuke came around the corner with a bottle of carrot juice, a book, and a small bottle of laundry detergent. Sakura and Naruto both raised an eyebrow and pointed to the detergent. "My clothes need to be washed, okay?" He said annoyed. "Mkay." Naruto chuckled. "Let's go, we need to find our ship," Sasuke commanded. The three went to the old lady at the counter and plopped everything in front of them. The old lady quickly checked all the items and placed them in a paper bag. Sakura pulled out the amount of money needed and handed it to the woman. "Thank you, dear, safe travels." the old woman stated. The three quickly hurried outside and headed south towards the docks. There were countless ships in the port, all bobbing along to the waves that drifted along onto the shore. "Sakura, how do we know which one ours is?" Naruto questioned as he scanned all the ships. "They all look so similar." "Ours has a Land of Fire sail on it. We shouldn't be able to miss it" Sakura informed. The three looked around for a few minutes until Sasuke pointed to a ship several meters away. "There." He said. It had the land of fire sail that Sakura had described. "That's it!" She exclaimed, hustling over to the boat. The followed her, their heels clanking against the wooden dock.

There was a middle age gentleman tying some rope along the deck, a younger boy was working on the bow, sweeping on the floors. "Hey!" Naruto called out, waving to the middle-aged man. "We're here!" The man looked up from his knot. "Oh, splendid." He claimed as he stood up from his kneeling position. "Perfect timing, we're ready to sail soon." The man pointed to the boy sweeping. "That's my nephew Toka, and my name is Ito." The older man pointed to the stern. "The cabin is right there. There's two more in there. Katou cooks and Muneaki helps me. He's resting now. If you're ready to board let me help." Ito stepped over to the wooden railing and pushed a ramp across it. The big block of wood gave a huge thud as it contacted the dock. "Ladies first!" Naruto exclaimed, pushing Sakura in front of him. "Watch it Naruto, no one will hear you drown if you piss me off." She warned teasingly. Naruto gulped hard and chuckled at the thought. He followed Sakura and Sasuke followed his trail.

The team was finally on the boat, and the sun had almost completely vanished from the sky. The vessel bobbed side to side as it remained stagnant in the port. Ito hauled the ramp back into the hull and pushed it along the deck away from any unsuspecting feet. "Mkay." He grunted as he returned to the group. "I'll finish everything that's out here and we'll start sailing soon." It turned around and called out to Toka. "Toka, come to show our friends around." The boy's ears flicked, and he nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir!" He called back, setting his broom down. Toka waddled his way over to the group and pointed to the cabin door. "Follow me, I'll show you below the deck." The team agreed to follow him as Tako opened the cabin door and led them down a short staircase.


	8. Chapter 8

Toka had led them below the boat, and to be frank, it wasn't quite the spectacle. Below the deck were the quarters and the kitchen and bathroom. The cabin basically was a long narrow hallway with the rooms located on the sides. On the immediate left was what appeared to be the kitchen. It was a small room with a wood-burning stove with only two burners, a water basin and plenty of wooden cabinets where packages of food were stored. There was a single lantern hanging against the wall. There were no windows so the only thing to illuminate the rooms were any candles that happened to be lit. The aforementioned cook Katou was standing in front of the stove, stirring some type of mixture in a large metal pot. Katou was probably around the age of twenty-five, a young lad. He peered up from his work and gave a quick nod, then returned to his stew. "Here's the kitchen. We have to eat on the deck since there's no room for a dining room down here." Toka explained. He pointed to the right. "This is where us sailors sleep. The door was half cracked, but two sets of bunk beds could be seen. There was a figure passed out on the bottom bunk, hand slumped to the floor. "That's Munekai," Toka whispered. "He navigates during the day and my uncle navigates at night." Naruto and Sakura nodded their heads in affirmation. They tiptoed gently further down the hall.

On the right was a sliding door. "Bathroom." Toka declared. "Only one so be sure to share." There were two rooms at the very end of the hallway one on the right, directly across from the bathroom and the other on the same side. "Your rooms." Toka pointed to the two quarters. "Dinner is in half an hour if you're hungry." The young boy turned around and climbed back up the stairs. The team heard the cabin door close as Toka returned to help Ito. "Looks like you boys are sharing a room. Good luck with that." Sakura laughed as she opened the door next to the bathroom. She shut it behind her leaving Sasuke and Naruto out in the hall. Naruto's eyes darted to Sasuke. "Don't expect any cuddling," Sasuke muttered blankly. The blonde rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever you idiot."

Naruto tugged open the door. Lucky for them there were two beds far apart in each corner of the room. They were plain beds with only thin eggshell colored sheets, and a small pillow. Next to each bed was a tiny wooden nightstand with a lit gas lantern residing on each one. A small wooden chest was settled next to the door. The room was overall barren and didn't contain anything else. "Man, rather plain huh?" Naruto question as he set his backpack on the bed closest to the door. Sasuke sat on the bed against the wall. "A bed is a bed Naruto." His friend replied. "Well, at least it's only for a week." Naruto slumped onto his back, rustling the bed's sheets. "It's going to be such a boring trip, maybe I can just try to sleep it off." The two felt the boat jump forward a bit, as well as rock side to side. The crew must have left the port. "I hope you don't get sea-sick Sasuke."

Sakura's room wasn't much more elaborate either. Her bed was a full-sized bed, with the same eggshell sheets. Sakura plopped her duffel bag and pulled out the blanket that she had purchased in town. She smoothed it over the mattress, tucking it into the corners. She fluffed the two pillows up and looked around the room. She didn't have a nightstand, but she did have a dresser on the end of the bed. She began to unpack her clothes into the dresser, making sure not to wrinkle them. She kicked her duffle bag under the bed. After tidying up her room, she decided to check out the bathroom. She opened her door, hearing the voices of her two friends from their room. She smiled a bit and slid the bathroom door closed.

The bathroom was tiny. Inside was a wooden toilet that was basically a box with a circular hole, and thankfully a lid. She cringed a bit. "I really hope this just dumps everything into the ocean." She prayed to herself. There wasn't a shower but rather a raised metal bath. Under it was a metal grate, and a space to light some coal, as well as a hole on the opposite side for the tub to drain. "So, if I want a bath I'm assuming I have to collect sea water from outside and heat it up? Man, we are spoiled in the leaf. She looked over at the sink and noticed small buckets of water. No running water. She groaned a bit, a little uncomfortable with the lack of running water. She grabbed one of the small pails and filled the basin with it, quickly washing her hands and face before all the water drained out. "We eat soon, better try to get this done now." She confirmed in her mind. At that moment she heard a bell chime, followed by a deep voice holler from down the hall. "Dinner is ready on the deck." Sakura turned around and left the bathroom.

The pinkette knocked on her friends' door. "Hey, are you guys coming to eat?" She asked. Naruto groggily sat up in his bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Yeah, I guess." He yawned. Sasuke nodded his head in affirmation. The three made their way onto the deck. They were several kilometers out onto the ocean. Although the lights from the port they had departed from could still be seen in the distance. The sun had completely disappeared from the sky, but it wasn't completely dark yet. The lanterns lit up the boat, giving the atmosphere a warm orange glow. There were benches set up alongside the railings, and Katou stood in the middle of the deck portioning out stew for Ito and Toka. "I made mushroom and beef stew, there's enough for everyone," Toka announced. The three stepped up to the large pot and Toka slopped a portion into a metal bowl for each of them. Handing them each a spoon as well. "You can sit on those benches over there." He motioned towards the railing. "Or take your chances standing up. Ito and Toka were sitting on a bench together, mopping up their bowls of stew. The team took a seat on the bench. Sasuke in the middle, Naruto on his right and Sakura on his left. Sakura took a sip of the stew and confirmed its' flavor with her friends. "This is pretty tasty. Far superior to lunch." She blushed, still embarrassed from her pathetic excuse for a meal. The three quickly finished their meal and washed their bowls in a bucket of sea water. They were pretty tuckered out, and after all the comforting stew that hit them, all three were ready to call it a night. "I'm going to bed." Sakura yawned. "I'll see you both in the morning. Goodnight Sasuke, goodnight Naruto." She gave them a wave as she opened the cabin's door. "Goodnight Sakura!" Naruto called from his seat. Sasuke and he sat there for a little while longer, gazing out onto the obsidian ocean.


	9. Chapter 9

Sasuke awoke, his head feeling like it had been hit by a truck. He groaned as he tried to orientate his vision. He grabbed his forehead and closed his eyes. "Ughh.." He groaned. He tried to stand up but he couldn't get his footing right. Naruto had heard the thuds of his stumbling and rolled over to address his friend. "You okay?" He questioned in a groggy voice. Sasuke managed to balance himself by holding onto the wall. "Yeah, I'm okay. I think I'm seasick." Naruto propped himself up on one elbow. "Yeah, you'll get used to it," Naruto affirmed. "It takes a day or two." Sasuke began to baby-step to the bathroom, not releasing his grip from the wall. "Need any help?" Naruto offered as he sat up in his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eye. "No, I'm okay" Sasuke confirmed as he managed to slide the bathroom door open. The ship was rocking side to side, giving Sasuke the desire to vomit. He clutched the sides of the skink and gazed into the mirror. "I look like shit." He thought to himself. Obsidian hair standing up in every direction, dark circles under his eyes.

Naruto heard his friend coughing from the bathroom and he felt empathetic. Seasickness isn't exactly fun, Naruto knew that first hand. The blonde stood up from his bed, slipping on his slippers before opening the door to his bedroom. Sasuke was still in the bathroom, presumably still puking his guts out. Naruto turned to the right a bit, knocking on Sakura's door. "Come in" she called from her room. Naruto opened the door and poked his head in. Sakura was sitting Indian style on her bed, sporting an oversized grey t-shirt and dark blue plaid pajama pants. Her hair was in two messy pigtails, and she had a paper sheet mask clung to face. "Man Sakura, you look like you're ready for a hot date!" Naruto teased. "Can it stupid." Sakura rolled eyes. "What do you want Naruto?" She questioned while she pulled off her sheet mask. "I'm pretty sure they're going to serve breakfast soon. Come up to the deck with me?" Naruto questioned. Sakura stood up and grabbed a pair of slippers out of her bag and put them on the right foot than left. "Yeah, okay." She confirmed.

The two reached the deck, and there was no sign of land at all. They were surrounded by a vast blue ocean. There was nothing but grey gloomy clouds loitering in the sky, the sun hides. The air was cold and rather windy, the ship sailed forward at a rather quick rate, hence the rocking. Although they were traveling at a decent rate, the ocean was quiet. They were too far out to hear any seagulls and the only sound that could be heard was the whipping wind. "Gosh, why is it so cold?" Sakura asked, hugging her shoulders for warmth. "It's still early. In a few hours, it'll be toasty out here." The two turned around. Behind them was a tall dark man, with deep wine-colored hair. He was muscular and wore a basic black long-sleeved shirt and basic brown pants. "Sorry if I scared you guys." The man confirmed. "I'm Muneaki, I'm one of the sailors." Naruto waved at him. "Oh hey." He greeted. "Don't mind us we're just looking around. Muneaki chucked. "It's all good my friends. If you need anything I'll be around somewhere. Toka is in the kitchen making eggs for breakfast so you should head down there in a little bit." Sakura and Naruto nodded their heads for confirmation. They stepped over the railing and peered down at the ocean, the ship slipping along the waves. "I wonder how deep the water is." Naruto pondered. "The deepest known part of the ocean is about eleven thousand meters. However, knowing our location, the depth is probably no more than two thousand meters." Sakura recited. "At least, according to the books in Lady Tsunade's library."

(Author's note: I'm sorry that this chapter is shorter than the rest! I had written it 10/10/18. It was Naruto's birthday and my friend, and I had gotten a cake and threw a little party so I couldn't do too much yesterday. Anyways thanks for reading and happy birthday Naruto!)


	10. Chapter 10

Eventually, Sasuke had made his way onto the deck. He felt a little better, but his stomach still felt like it was in knots. "We need to strategize." He told his friends. The two whipped their heads around to face him. "Why?" Sakura questioned, readjusting herself in her seat. "We have plenty of time to worry about what the plan is." Sasuke shook his head and held up a scroll. "No, we need to make a plan now. The sooner we strategize the more prepared we will be. This scroll was given to me by the Hokage, and it has critical information that we need to evaluate. "He's right Sakura, we really need a plan, we can't go into this blindly." Naruto chirped in. "Okay, I guess we can do this now." Sakura finally agreed. "It's not like we have anything else to do. The three huddled around in a circle, sitting on the floor of the deck.

Sauske unrolled the part of the scroll, placing it in the center of their makeshift meeting. The portion of the scroll shown displayed a map of The Land of Muse. Sasuke pointed to the South West portion of the map. "Chūi is the capital, that's where we'll meet with the emperor." He stated. "It's surrounded by a U-shaped bay." The trailed his finger slightly to the East. "This is the Suimin River. It runs to the Northeast behind the capital and splits off just north of the Gōn Forest." Naruto stopped his friend from continuing. "Look there." Naruto pointed. "There are only two bridges on the river. Right there, next to those mountains." He tapped his finger at the Northern part on the map. " And one next to the capital. I think that's really weird." Sakura looked at Naruto. "Maybe most people live on the West side of the island. After all, it's a port city with assumingly a large fish market." Sakura suggested. "Sasuke, do you know the population number?" Sasuke looked down and shook his head. "It's undetermined."

"What will happen when we reach the capital?" Sakura asked, wiping her brow. "I don't imagine the emperor will want to waste much time." Her voice drifted off nervously. "I bet that he will want to start negotiations right away," Naruto added. "Do you know what you're going to do Sakura?" Naruto asked. "Uh-. Well. No, not really." She confessed. "I don't know what the Land of Muse could possibly want an alliance for. I'm not really sure how to prepare myself." Her eyes darted away to the ocean, sweat forming on her brow. Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder in support. "Hey don't be nervous!" He smiled, trying to improve her confidence. "You're much better with words than the two of us, you'll be just fine." Sakura lifted her head back to her friend and gave him a faint smile. "Thanks, Naruto." Sasuke rolled out a different part of the scroll, tapping it to regain his teammates' attention.

"This is all of the information that I have on the Island. As you can see it's not a lot." Sasuke stated. "But we still need a plan of action for when we get there. The Hokage instructed me to send as much information that we can gather, and report to the village frequently. We can't be too careful." Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You don't think this is a bad idea, do you?" She asked her friend with a shake in her voice. "It's too soon to tell. But so far I have no leads to why we shouldn't trust the emperor." Naruto shook his head. "Am I the only one who finds it odd that the Leaf has to travel?" He questioned. "I think its suspicious." The three sat there for a second before Sakura broke the silence. "The Land of Muse is probably just as unsure about us as we are of them. I know they have a long royal bloodline that they wouldn't want to risk. I wonder if that has something to do with it." She claimed with confidence. "Possibly," Sasuke added. "But we can't make any assumptions."

"Naruto, when we get to the capital, I'm trusting you to get as much information on the city as you can," Sasuke assured. "Talk to the locals, explore the Island, listen to as many conversations as possible, do whatever you can." Naruto squinted his eyes. "Isn't that technically espionage?" He asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We're not spies Naruto." Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah okay, gather information, got it." Sasuke nodded his head. "Good. Now that we have a loose idea of what we're getting ourselves into, we can be better prepared." He rolled the scroll back up, and in a cloud of smoke, it disappeared. "When we get there, we need to all act ignorant. We don't want them to know that we are gathering intel. Agreed?" Sasuke arched his eyebrows. The other two nodded their heads in agreement.

For the remainder of the day, the team sat on the deck of the ship enjoying the warm weather. Sasuke sat on one of the benches along the railing, his nose deep in the book that he bought. Sakura and

Naruto sat directly on the railing behind Sasuke, their feet hanging off the ship. The boat was going a bit slower than it had in the morning, but it was still slipping its way towards the team's destination. They somehow managed to skip breakfast but around noon Toka brought up some sashimi. "Caught it this morning" he bragged as he served it to everyone aboard. Everyone enjoyed their lunch together as they traveled along the ocean. Sasuke was the only one who denied the food. Seasickness and fish just didn't mix in his mind, so he decided to pass. Although he felt much better than he did when he initially did, he was still far from his normal self. The sun had eventually graced the sky with its radiant presence. The ship sailed further and further into the blue ocean, still no sign of land to be seen.


End file.
